Novelty siding has long been available to the public in the form of elongated boards having an upper edge with an integral upstanding tongue and a lower edge with a tongue recess, rabbett or groove, the front face of each board usually having a groove to simulate clapboarding.
Such siding, panelling or sheathing is shown in many forms in, for example, a publication entitled "Standard Patterns", Western Wood Products Co. of Western Wood Products Association, Yeon Building, Portland, Oregon 97204.
Prior patents exemplary of such siding, decking, flooring, roofing or panelling are the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,400,357 May 14, 1946 to Krajci PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,239 July 26, 1966 to Mills PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,899 Jan. 3, 1978 to Kirkhuff PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,231,007 Feb. 11, 1941 to Vane PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,087 Dec. 4, 1945 to Fink PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,621 Nov. 9, 1954 to Errion PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,218 Apr. 22, 1958 to Stark PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,439 Dec. 7, 1971 to Knessel PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,439 July 12, 1977 to Sanders
in all of which the siding unit has an upper tongue and lower tongue groove but requires attachment to a substrate of boards or plyscore.
In the following U.S. Patents, however, all of which also disclose an upper tongue and a lower tongue recess, no backer board is used and the units are attached directly to the studs:
Most of the above mentioned patents disclose an outer, lower, integral depending rib on the lower edge of the board for covering the joint with the next lower most board.
The above mentioned Mills U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,239, Fink U.S. Pat. No. 2,390,087 and Stark U.S. Pat. No. 2,831,218 all disclose laminated board units, and the Errion U.S. Pat. No. 2,693,621 discloses one piece units, which are of sufficient thickness, strength and insulative properties to be directly applied to frame studding thereby eliminating the cost and expense of an intervening substrate of shiplapped boards, plyscore or composition board.